A barn owl made a surprise visit to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's office. It had most likely flown into the building overnight and was found perched high and out of reach, said PM Lee in a Facebook post.

He added that the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority and Jurong Bird Park were called in to help. The bird was later caught and released unharmed behind Sri Temasek.

"The Istana grounds are a green refuge for many species of birds and animals," PM Lee said in his post on Wednesday. "We should preserve and create many such green spaces all over our island, so that in our urban environment we can enjoy the natural flora and fauna of Singapore."

The post has since garnered more than 23,000 likes and shared some 1,400 times, with many applauding the Prime Minister for releasing the bird unharmed. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

A heated quarrel between husband and wife turned dangerous when the husband grabbed and lifted his wife's ankles so that half her body was dangling of the kitchen window of their 11-storey flat.

Fortunately, he came to his senses and pulled her in. He had earlier slapped her face, threw a chair at her and threatened to burn her hair.

Jin Qilong, 50, was jailed two months after he pleaded guilty yesterday to hurting his wife, Zhu Hua, 45, and committing a rash act that could have endangered her life.

Pleading for a lenient sentence on his behalf, his wife Zhu Hua, 45, told the court that he was now a changed man and they got along well for the past one and a half years. Jin, a construction supervisor, apologised to his wife in court and said he wanted to become a good father and husband.

He had become angry at 9pm on Jan 24 last year over a taxi driver's refusal to drive him, his wife and 20-year-old daughter to their Tiong Bahru flat as the cabby had somewhere else to go. Jin, a Chinese national and a permanent resident here, became more agitated when his wife tried to explain that Singapore was not Shanghai.

He started accusing her of taking the other man's side and alleged that she was having an affair with the cabbie. The couple took a bus home. In their flat, he drank liquor and kept repeating that she was sleeping with the cabbie.

When she denied this, he slapped her face and threatened to burn her hair with a lighter he held. He then went into the bedroom but did not cool down. When he saw her standing at the kitchen window minutes later, he sneaked up behind her and lifted her by her ankles.

She quickly grabbed the bamboo poles that were placed outside the window and held onto them until she was safely back in the flat.

She took out a Personal Protection Order against him after the incident. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Civil servants will get a year-end bonus of 1.1 months, with the minimum set at S$1,600 (RM4,100) to benefit lower-wage officers, the Public Service Division (PSD) said in a statement on Thursday.

Some 1,300 civil servants earning less than S$1,460 (RM3,750) will get a minimum Annual Variable Component payment of S$1,600, it said. For example, an officer earning a monthly salary of S$1,200 (RM3,080) will get S$1,600 in bonus, which is S$280 (RM718) more than the S$1,320 (RM3,390) he would have received based on 1.1 months of his salary.

"This signals the Government's continued commitment to help lower-wage workers," it said. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network